[Quietcars] NHTSA report: DOT HS 811 204 September 2009

[michael townsend]

Perhaps, those cars that are equipped with the OnStar and computer-based nav
systems and the Ford Microsoft partnered systems might provide a resource
for a case study for this data, since tracking might be easier with them.
But then again, some my say that this might be considered an invasion of
privacy.  If yo have a computer or nav system in the car for tracking
anyway, there isn't any way that I know to avoid such tracking or private
snooping, if you will, so you're a sitting target for studies.  

For example, parents might want to lend their kid the car, but yet govern
how fast the kid goes and some cars, like the Z06 corvette and other
performance cars have a "tame mode" into which the car can be placed to do
this very thing of governing how fast the car is.  Then, link that with the
nav system that can track where the occupants travel.  

A parking assistant is very often furnished with a key that will allow the
car to be started and driven to a parking space on some of these high
performance cars, and the power in the automobile is cut back to avoid such
foolishness as racing about to avoid accidents or to keep damage to an
expensive vehicle to a minimum should someone get in over their heads while
parking such a vehicle.  

 

-----Original Message-----
From: quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Robert Wilson
Sent: Thursday, October 01, 2009 2:51 PM
To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Quietcars] NHTSA report: DOT HS 811 204 September 2009


Hi Michael,

> Date: Thu, 1 Oct 2009 14:23:19 -0400
> From: mrtownsend at optonline.net
> To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
> Subject: Re: [Quietcars] NHTSA report: DOT HS 811 204 September 2009
> 
> Again, thanks for this.  Inconclusive or inclusive?  Since hybrid 
> sales are somewhere around 20% of the vehicles or less that are sold, 
> we may find that these stats will rise as the quieter, not 
> specifically hybrid v3ehicles are sold more readily or in greater 
> numbers.  The beeping bulbs, as I call them, would surely make a 
> difference in alerting those of us who are pedestrians as to which 
> directions the cars are turning:  but there again, would the noises 
> emitted be the same for right or left turns, or if the bulbs were 
> utilized in the tail lamp areas, would they be of a di9fferent noise, note
or sound?

I found one version of 'beeping bulbs,' which are designed to replace a
backup, tail-light. The run about $60 each retail, today. As for left and
right turns, I am thinking we need to let the data tell us if 'right' or
'left' turns are more hazardous. I suspect that in the USA, right turns
because of the "right turn on red" rule along with both driver and
pedestrians looking at the crossing traffic lane, not each other, may be the
risky area. But we really need the right and left turn data from the 12
State study, if it is available, for both HEV and ICE vehicles.

> Perhaps, the frequency of the beeps, meaning rapidity or speed, might 
> be different, but then again, which standards will be applied and by 
> which manufacturers and if the bulbs were installed by someone in an 
> aftermarket situation, who would monitor such installs?  All questions 
> which are yet to be answered.  Some might say that these are minor or 
> trivial, but as someone who is out daily and who also loves cars, 
> these are things about which I've thought just on the spur of the moment
after reading your piece, bob.

I was thinking with my 'engineering' mind about how to proceed from this
latest piece of information to rapidly gather better data and understand
what is going on.

Bob Wilson
 		 	   		  
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